Connacht Tribune
€2.5m restoration of Meelick Weir Walkway approved
One of the hidden tourism gems of the River Shannon – the Meelick Weir Walkway that links Galway and Offaly – is set to be restored to life next year after being out of commission since the floods of late 2009.
A figure of almost €2.5 million has been allocated by Waterways Ireland for the revamp of the Weir, which will once more, link the villages of Meelick in East Galway and Lusmagh in West Offaly.
The ‘good news’ that the €2.5 million project had received the go-ahead was given on the banks of the Shannon beside the weir to a local committee last Thursday by Waterways Ireland Regional Manager, Eanna Rowe, who confirmed that the project would be going out to tender later this month.
President of the local restoration committee, Nancy Reilly, also presented Mr. Rowe with a letter stressing the importance of completing the works during the coming Summer season of 2019.
Charlie Killeen, Chairman of the Meelick/Lusmagh Walkway Restoration Committee, told the Connacht Tribune that confirmation of the project going to tender was very welcome news for the local communities.
“We have the two Martello towers, the Red Bridge, and the Victorian Lock, among other attractions, that will be brought back to life with access restored for locals and tourists who want to use this beautiful walkway across the Shannon.
“This is wonderful news for the area but one point I want to stress is that we need this work to be completed during the ‘Summer window’ of May 1 to September 1, 2019 – otherwise the re-opening would slip back another year to Autumn of 2020,” said Charlie Killeen.
Work on the Meelick Weir can only be carried out during that Summer period because of fisheries protection measures relating to the salmon spawning season.
Earlier this year, the campaign to get the Meelick Weir restoration project back on the priority list, was stepped up by community representatives from the Meelick and Lusmagh areas.
Over recent months, the Meelick Walkway Restoration Committee embarked on an extensive lobbying campaign, involving communications with Waterways Ireland, local politicians and Government departments.
Disaster struck for the Weir back in November of 2009, when the severe flooding of that period resulted in damage being caused to the walkway and its supports – since then, it has been closed to public access.
Charlie Killeen said that it was ‘the dream’ of local people in the Meelick and Lusmagh areas that the re-opening of the walkway would coincide with a local feast day in the Meelick area.
“Traditionally, August 2 of each year has been a prayer day at Meelick Church, which we believe is the oldest church in Ireland in continuous use, dating back to the Middle Ages.
“There has been a tradition of people from Lusmagh walking across the Weir to the old monastery and it really would be something special to the local communities if the walkway was reopened to coincide with this tradition,” said Charlie Killeen.
He said that the opening date for the walkway – and the need for a commitment that the work be started in early May of next year – were now the only concerns that local people had.
“But at least the money is there; the job is going to tender – now the priority is to get it done on time,” said Charlie Killeen.
He said that the restoration job itself should only take in the region of five to seven weeks. “The starting date is the only outstanding issue now,” he added.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
